Abstract
New Morphological investigations on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis have refocused the attention on the role of monocytes and macrophages, especially in the early phases of the disease. This is somewhat opposed to the recent concentration on smooth muscle cells. Various factors have prompted the reorientation: Macrophages were found to be essentially involved in the intimai lipoprotein metabolism (Brown and Goldstein, 1983; 1986). They are incorporating cholesterol-binding lipoproteins that enter the intima, but if they have taken up more than they can possibly digest, the excess cholesterol will be stored as drop like cytoplasmic deposits. Recent experimental data suggested that the majority of foam cells observed in the atherosclerotic plaque, must be of this origin. Foam cell transformation of smooth muscle cells was found to be rather less common (Schwartz et al., 1985). Although the functional importance of macrophages in lipoprotein metabolism has been verified in vitro, our knowledge about their behaviour especially in the human atherosclerotic plaque is still fairly vague, as most of the morphological studies conducted in this field, have been based on experimental models.
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© 1991 Westdeutscher Verlag GmbH Opladen
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Roessner, A., Vollmer, E., Jaeger, E., Rauterberg, J., Böcker, W. (1991). Differentiation and Role of Macrophages in the Early Human Atherosclerotic Plaque. In: New Aspects of Metabolism and Behaviour of Mesenchymal Cells during the Pathogenesis of Arteriosclerosis. Abhandlungen der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, vol 87. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-99112-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-99112-6_8
Publisher Name: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden
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